Haider

Vishal Bhardwaj dares to do a politically strong film through his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Haider. Much like the play, the main focus of the movie is in the mental conflict of the title protagonist. But Vishal Bhardwaj very elegantly adds the Kashmir issues into it and thus the plot has a rooted platform with strong political backdrop.

The film focuses on our title protagonist Haider who comes back to Kashmir from Aligarh after hearing the news about the terrible events happened at his house resulting in the missing of his father. The father loving Haider slowly starts to know the inner politics of the family which shatters him. How Haider reacts to this situation is the soul of Haider.

Well the beauty of the movie is mainly because of the adaptation factor. The previous hamlet adaptation I have seen was in Malayalam and it was a really boring dramatized version of it. By placing the story in Kashmir Mr Bhardwaj not only uses its visual beauty, but also throws light on the political atmosphere there. One jitter I could sense in this political scenario was that military operation thing which was forgotten as the film moved to the family business. With exceptional acting display from each individual in the star cast Haider is one movie every film lover should taste.

Shahid Kapoor delivers his career best performance as Haider. From the gloomy student in the first half to the mad revenge obsessed young man was a surprising transformation. Shraddha Kapoor once again utilizes her innocent expression. Kay Kay Menon and Tabu were extremely good as those pivotal characters. Memorable, intense and extended special appearance from Irrfan Khan.

In the making, Vishal Bhardwaj once again makes it that intriguing drama with practical tone. The intro scene of the bald headed Haider, the philosophical graveyard song and the dialogs surrounding it shows the unique signature of the director. The cinematography was beautiful. Music was nice especially that Bismil song along with the choreography. Stunts were brutal.

Overall Haider was an experience that managed to sustain in my head for its emotional depth and brave political approach. The rating is 4/5 for this Vishal Bhardwaj beauty.